Hans was our intrepid driver for the day! He is a Dutch man, who speaks fluent French. And he speaks English like an ex-pat Aussie! Very easy on the eyes, also! Hans dropped us off, and we have a several block stroll through some shopping to get to Sacre Couer. Be still my heart, the tour director says, "If any one likes fabric, there is a fabric store to the right at the end of this street."
Lots of home dec fabrics, bridal and fru fru fabrics. But I did find some yummy batiks! But where is the cutting table? I quickly ascertained that I need to get the attention of a clerk who would measure and cut my fabric at the display area. He spoke no English, I no French. But we both spoke fabric! Bliss!
To get to Sacre Couer, we could walk and take the stairs. But for a metro ticket, we could ride the funicular, which would get us to the top in 90 seconds. We weren't a bunch of dumb bunnies, so we took the ride!
The view was absolutely worth it! Such a glorious day! In the courtyard there was a harpist playing the theme song from "The Titanic"
The church reminded me of the Taj Majal. The stone it is constructed of constantly secretes calcite, so with each rainfall, it cleanses itself. Same material that the Sidney Opera House is made of. No pictures are allowed in the church. Mass was going on, and we were able to receive the Eucharist. My friends and I each bought rosaries from here, and I purchased a DVD about the church.
After visiting Sacre Couer, we got to stroll back towards the bus. Montmarte is the Bohemian area and is where the street artists set up to sell to the tourists. There are several small studios and museums in the area.
I purchased this little watercolour (unframed) in this area. Probably overpriced, and the artist I am sure pops these out for the tourist trade. But it is a lovely reminder of my visit to Paris.
This area is also home of the famous Molin Rouge. We didn't go for a show. Although some of our party did attend a show at the Lido the night before.
After a bit of a rest, we proceeded for the crowning moment of our visit...supper in the Eiffel Tower!
The pictures managed to get completely out of order. But you get the idea, the food was delish!
After supper, we took the elevators up to the top of the Eiffel tower to watch the sunset. These two characters were in front of us in line. I thought they were French, but after I snapped their picture, they started talking English! They were having a lot of fun!
Here is the evening sky from the Eiffel Tower! Words nor my poor photography cannot describe how magnificent the view is. Nor what a wonderful trip and experience I had. This will be my last post on Paris! Thank you for your patience. And I hope you all get to travel to this beautiful city!
Catching up on my blog reading. Sure looks like a great trip. Was it an organized tour?
ReplyDeleteOoo that brought back lots of nice memories. We walked (well ambled) up to the Sacré-Coeur and then climbed up to the roof when we arrived. I ached for days! Wonderful views though. So pleased your trip was thoroughly enjoyable especially after a slightly shaky start.
ReplyDelete